Ursinus College - Ruby Yearbook (Collegeville, PA)

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We can be lenient in our judgment of the Freshman to-day localise we know what it is to be despised for our ignorance and pitied for our helplessness ; we have been Sophomores too, and felt as if Freshmen should apologize to us for their very existence; we have experienced the fanciful imaginations of a Junior—we have had a taste of it all, until now we have established our equilibrium, we have laid aside our frivolity, and with an increased amount of dignity, wisdom and hard work, have become grave and sober-minded Seniors. It is unbecoming to pride one’s self on one’s ancestry, it should first be considered whether our ancestry would be willing to pride themselves upon us, accordingly the Class of '99 realizes that however noble its past career, it must not rest satisfied with those achievements but continue to provide new material for the Historian. Our record of events was closed in March, 1898. About this time the staff was busied with the preparation of the Ri by of ’99, with what success you are familiar. Much has occurred since then which we would like to unfold to our readers, but modesty (the class characteristic) and respect for individual feeling forbids us. After the summer vacation we returned to assume our new responsibilities as Seniors,—the Faculty, after grave deliberation and not without some qualms of conscience had assigned our former place as Juniors to the timid-looking crowd who had vainly been attempting to follow in our footsteps. As no body of precious material is ever so coherent that the progress of time will effect no change, even the coherency of the Senior class has had to be disturbed. Under the ardent rays of the summer sun, two precious particles melted away and have since been flowing in other directions, but the early western winds of autumn have wafted into our midst another particle, enabling the class to remain the same in weight, though decreased in number. Although none can take the places of those who have left us, we ai'e glad to find a new place filled and welcome into our midst one who has shown herself worthy of belonging to our class. Our ways have not all been “ways of pleasantness” nor have all our paths been peace. Memory passages have haunted us many weary nights and even “gentle sleep, Nature’s soft nurse” could not “raze out the written troubles from the brain.“ Truly we were justified in saying “Macbeth does murther sleep,” but, urged by a stern voice from the class-room, crying “Thus thou must do, if thou have it, we screwed our courage to the sticking-place and emerged from the fitful fever of examination with the satisfactory reflection, “What’s done is done.” In all the various interests of the college our class has always been distinctly identified. Each year has seen it ablv represented in the football team, blending 28